Bleach: The Aroshainingu Chronicle 矢印クロニクルシャイニング
by Within Imagination
Summary: When Head Captain Yamamoto declares that the last of the Quincy archers, Ryuuken and Uryu, must either be stripped of their powers or killed, just how will Uryu react? Especially when those he once knew as allies are now fighting him to the death...
1. Prologue

This is the newest story I am composing (translation is "Bleach: The Shining-Arrow Chronicle"). My hope is that you will view this story as a new Bleach movie with Uryu Ishida as the main character (you know, like they should have done ages ago). I hope that you enjoy it! Please comment if you have the time and hold on tight... for this story will be epic.

...

My name is Uryu Ishida. My high-school life isn't as normal as you would think. You see, I'm one of those people who knows a lot more than others and uses that knowledge to achieve high scores on tests and such. I'm also pale, scrawny, and I even wear glasses to top it all off. But instead of being picked on by people who think they're stronger than me like others who share my distinct characteristics, I'm picked on by huge, hideous monsters called "Hollow." Why am I picked on by these Hollow? Simple: I have a very high spiritual pressure, called reiatsu, which attracts them.

Only a small number of people in the world share my ability to be able to see things that others can't see, such as Hollow, departed souls, Soul Reapers (or Shinigami), and other spiritual things. But I am unique from all of them. I am the last of my kind- well, not including my father, but he's another story. I am what you would call a Quincy, a spiritually aware human who is able to form a bow and arrows using reiatsu and spirit particles.

It is for this reason that my clan was brutally massacred long ago. Our arrows not only destroyed what they shot, but also that specific thing's soul, making it unable to go to the Soul Society where it belonged. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads, or Gotei 13, realized that this could have a disastrous effect on the balance of both the world of the living and the Soul Society, so they destroyed the clan of the Quincy archers, leaving very few alive. When I learned of this, my hatred for the shinigami began.

Among those few left alive, however, was my father, mother, and grandfather. My father was never there for me; he was always working, helping living bodies instead of helping non-living like a true Quincy should. Of course, he was too busy pretending he wasn't a Quincy to even care. He wasn't even there the night my mother died. All I remember is my grandfather opening the door and bursting into tears after the police officer was finished speaking with him. I can't even remember my mother's face since I was so young; I can remember how she looked, but not her eyes... never her eyes...

After that night, my grandfather Soken and I grew a lot closer. He became my sensei and taught me everything I needed to know about being a Quincy- well, as much as a seven-year-old could remember anyway. But all good things must come to an end, I suppose, for it was no sooner that I had finally begun to fulfill my true destiny as a Quincy that my grandfather and sensei was killed by Hollow. The shinigami came only after he was dead; they failed to arrive on time. This only deepened my growing hatred toward them. Imagine my shock to learn that not only had they failed to save his living body, but they had taken his new body in the Soul Society to an insane madman they dared call a captain! This "captain" then proceeded to experiment on his body just to find out more about the Quincy; the thought makes me want to retch every time I think of it. I was even shown a picture of this inhumane treatment and told that throughout most of it he was calling for me personally...

That did it. After I heard of that, my hatred toward shinigami grew to a level barely controllable. I was able to keep this anger at bay for a while, if only for the sake of my new friends at the time, but one day I found myself unable to hold it back any longer- one day my entire life changed. One day, the shinigami just went too far...

I have always wondered whether it is a sin for me to care about someone, or if it is a sin for me to be cared about by someone. Either way, it seems, they always die... **and that is what aggravates me the most.** I suppose that I can only hope that my friends won't be next; I have tried my best not to care too much about them, but I'm not sure if it will be enough to save them. This is a grave affair that has begun, but the shinigami must pay for their crimes- and I intend to be the one to bring their judgment.


	2. The Head Captain's Decision

"Goodbye, everyone! I'll send you lots of postcards! And letters! And presents!" yelled a teenage girl with strawberry-blonde hair as she leaned out the window of the bus, waving violently and nearly falling out herself.

"Inoue, you're only going to be gone for three weeks!" laughed Kurosaki as he finished loading the rest of her luggage and stood back.

"And I doubt that campsites carry postcards," Sado added.

"I know, but three weeks is just too long to be away from you guys!" replied the girl as she finally situated herself in a seat.

"Don't worry, we'll call you every time we get the chance. You just have fun, okay? It's not every day that the home economics club goes camping."

After he said this, however, Ichigo looked around, suddenly noticing the absence of another member of the home economics club.

"Hey, Inoue? Where's Ishida? Wasn't he supposed to be going, too?"

"Oh, yeah! He told me that he suddenly came down with something and had to stay home! Poor guy..." she replied with a sad expression.

"Uh-huh..." said Ichigo with a frown. "Well, then, I guess I'll just have to go check up on him, now won't I?"

"Oh, would you?" Inoue asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, you bet I will." _Because I'll bet anything that he's **not** sick._he added in his mind.

"Oh! It looks like we're leaving! I can't wait! This will be my first time camping!" Inoue said happily as the bus engine started, all thoughts of Ishida suddenly leaving her head.

Both Kurosaki and Sado sweat dropped. "You're first time camping?"

"Uh-huh! Well, here we go! I'll see you in three weeks, Kurosaki-kun, Sado-kun!" Inoue yelled happily as the bus drove down the street. Ichigo and Chad exchanged surprised glances.

"Three weeks? I'll bet she won't last three days," Kurosaki said hesitantly.

"I was thinking three hours..." Sado replied.

"Oh, well, she's gone now; nothing we can do about that," said Kurosaki as he stretched his arms above his head. "I think she'll be all right. Besides, Arisawa-chan is there with her after all. She demanded to go along to help Inoue out, remember?"

Chad replied with a slight "Hn" as Ichigo began to walk down the street.

"Well, I'd better go see Ishida. I can't believe he would make up an excuse such as that he was sick. That's the oldest trick in the book! And now he's worried Inoue."

Chad simply nodded.

"All right, then; see you later," said Kurosaki as he turned the corner and headed to Ishida's apartment complex.

...

"Oi! Ishida! Open up, will you?" yelled Kurosaki as he pounded loudly on the door. A few moments (and several more poundings) later, the door finally opened to reveal a very irritated-looking Quincy.

"What is it, Kurosaki? Are you trying to make my headache worse?"

"You know, you've got a lot of nerve! You don't like camping so you lied and told Inoue you were sick? Do you have any idea just how worried she was about-" But Kurosaki's rant was cut short as he finally happened to observe the teenager in front of him. Ishida was paler than usual, not wearing his glasses, and looked as if he had been rudely awakened from a nap. Kurosaki also vaguely remembered the other saying that he had a headache as well...

"What? You really are sick, aren't you?" he asked.

"Good eyes, Kurosaki; now use them to find the exit," Ishida said as he began to close the door.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Kurosaki said as he held the door opened with his hand. "You were perfectly fine a few hours ago in school! Nobody gets sick that quickly!"

Ishida sighed and shook his head. "Well apparently, Kurosaki, I do."

Ichigo placed his free hand on Ishida's forehead, despite the protesting noise the Quincy gave, to check his temperature.

"Whoa... you're burning up, Ishida. Are you taking anything?"

"You know, you sound pretty concerned for one who was just accusing me of faking illness," he sighed.

"I know. I- I'm sorry, it's just... you didn't see Inoue's eyes. She was really worried about you, and seeing as how you were just fine in school only a little while ago, I figured that you were- well-"

"That I was faking it," Ishida finished. "I assure you, Kurosaki, I would never do anything to worry Inoue unnecessarily. This really did come on quite quickly; I don't even know what it is, yet..."

"Well, it looks like the flu to me. You just stay here and try to get some rest. It's summer vacation, now; so you should have nothing to worry about," said Kurosaki as he smiled and led Ishida back to his room.

Ishida smiled slightly. "Thank you, Kurosaki. I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Good! Because we have that pool party, remember? And you're coming whether you like it or not!" Kurosaki smiled.

"Oh, that's right... I did forget about that," the other boy sighed. "I suppose I have no choice, now, do I?"

"Nope! You sure don't!" Kurosaki smirked as he began to leave. "See you tomorrow, then!"

"Yeah," Ishida said as he laid down on the bed.

...

In the Soul Society, a wooden cane hit the floor, echoing loudly as the sound reverberated through the room. The room's occupants, however, were quite used to this sound, and didn't move a single inch from their erect positions in the two lines they formed. They continued to stare straight ahead, unfazed by the sudden intrusion of sound in the previously quiet room.

"I have called this meeting to discuss a matter of extreme importance," said a gruff voice from a throne on the far end of the room. "I believe you are all familiar with the clan that call themselves 'Quincy,' are you not?"

No one dared to speak, as they knew it was not a question meant to be answered, so the gruff voice continued.

"This spiritually-aware clan's specific ability was to fire arrows made of spirit particles and reiatsu. This proved to be quite a formidable weapon, and so I allowed the Quincy archers to act as shinigami and kill any Hollow they might find. However, it was soon discovered that whenever these arrows struck their opponent, they would not only kill it, but they would also take away its soul, rendering it unable to depart to the Soul Society. If I had continued to allow the Quincy archers to destroy Hollow, then the balance between the world of the living and the Soul Society would have been severely damaged. In order to prevent this, I was forced to order an extermination of the Quincy clan. You should all be well-informed of this; some of you were even there yourselves.

"However, I did allow one small family from the Quincy clan to survive this massacre: the Ishida family. At the time, it merely consisted of Ishida Soken, Ishida Ryuken, and Ishida Ryuken's wife, all of them still retaining their Quincy abilities. They were away from the Quincy clan's district at the time, and so they were not there while the others were slain. When I was informed of this, I decided that three mere Quincy archers would not cause too great of a disturbance, and so they survived. They have been living in the human world under our supervision. As of now, the only Quincy from that day remaining alive is Ryuken Ishida; however, he and his wife bore a son before she passed away, naming him Ishida Uryu. The Ishida's Ryuken and Uryu are the only two Quincy archers remaining."

There was a long pause after the older man had finished speaking. Finally, the tension in the room was cut by one voice daring to ask the question that everyone was wondering.

"Please forgive me, sir! But I was wondering just why you are telling us this now!" asked Captain Soi-Fon in a loud, authoritative voice.

"Yeah, we all know about the Quincy clan, so just why are you bringing it up?" asked Captain Zaraki, in a rather bored tone.

The Head Captain Yamamoto surveyed his captains intensely for a minute before answering. "Because Captain Kurotsuchi has informed me that those two Quincy have proven to be more dangerous than I originally thought. They have been using their abilities to kill more Hollow than I had originally anticipated, especially considering their newfound _Licht Regen_ technique."

The head captain struck his cane upon the floor once more before looking up with a glare.

"They must both be eliminated before the balance can be disrupted once more."

At this, many of the captains eyes widened slightly, though only one dared to speak aloud.

"With all due respect, head captain, the Quincy Ishida Uryu has proven himself to be a very valuable ally to us," Captain Hitsugaya said with a slight frown.

"While that may be true, his abilities are simply too great to ignore any longer. Both Quincy archers must either give up their powers or face elimination," replied the head captain sternly. "My orders are final, and they are to be carried out immediately by Squad Two."

Soi-Fon frowned slightly before stepping forward. "Hai, sir. It shall be taken care of."

"Then you are all dismissed."

Soi-Fon immediately flash-stepped from the room followed by a few other captains, but some were slightly hesitant. Many of them knew the Quincy Ishida Uryu personally, leaving them to speculate this decision by the head captain. However, one by one, the hesitant captains left, unable to find the words nor the courage to argue against their head captain.

...

Ishida Ryuken stepped outside of his office in the hospital, taking out his keys to lock the door. It was late at night, so the hallways were hardly busy, only being occupied by a few of the nurses on night shifts. With a sigh, the hospital manager picked up his briefcase and left the building. He had walked to the hospital that morning, since the weather was bearable and he didn't feel like maneuvering through traffic; so naturally he had to walk back. Halfway to his home, under the light of one of the streetlamps, the man suddenly stopped and put down his briefcase.

"Must you really be so noticeable when you are surveying me. I can only tolerate it when I cannot feel your presence, and I have felt it since I left the hospital, so I suggest you move farther away... Unless there is some other command you have been ordered to execute?"

At this, Captain Soi-Fon and many of her squad's ninja-clad shinigami flash-stepped in front of him. She stepped forward with a firm look.

"There is, but I fear that said command will not be the only thing executed this night if you do not heed my words."

Ryuken frowned slightly. "So, it's come to this, has it?" he asked as he began to unbutton his left wrist-cuff. "Somehow I always knew that you shinigami would come to finish what you started years ago."

"Please, understand, we do not have to fight you. If you give us your Quincy bow, we will leave you in peace," Soi-Fon stated in her usual serious tone.

"If I were ever to give up my power, it would never be to a shinigami, no matter the circumstances," said the doctor as he pushed his glasses up slightly and extended his left arm.

"So be it," said the captain.

...

Uryu awoke with a start.

_This feeling- what is it?_ he thought as he desperately tried to calm his breathing. _It feels as if something has suddenly been stripped from me..._

He gasped and looked towards the window.

_This reiatsu... It can't be! What's going on?_

With that, he got up and donned his Quincy outfit, quickly flash-stepping outside of the window and hurrying to where he felt the spiritual pressures coming from.

_I should be careful about how I use my reiatsu right now; I'm still not feeling well and I don't want to drain myself too quickly._ thought Uryu as he nearly tripped on his own two feet after using another flash-step.

As he neared the scene of the intense spiritual pressures, he suddenly felt a change... a bad change.

_What? The reiatsu's have stopped. Now I can only sense one..._

He raced up a hill surveying the area. Once he had reached the top, he searched for anything that could have been giving out such reiatsu as he had felt... and his eyes went wide.

He wanted to let some noise come from his mouth, but he lacked the breath to do so. He stared in complete horror at the scene before him. He saw at least a dozen of the shinigami from Squad 2 standing off to the side, but what his sight was fixed on at the moment was Captain Soi-Fon and her zanpaktou... which was currently sticking out from Ryuken Ishida's back. He heard a sickening thud as that zanpaktou was pulled out by its owner and swiftly wiped of its blood. There was his father, the true last Quincy, lying on the ground, eyes open yet unseeing, blood pooling around him.

_What? No! This isn't happening! He isn't- but his reiatsu... I have to do something... Inoue! No, she's gone... No! NO!_

Finally, he was able to speak once more.

"YOU- JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" he screamed at the top of his lungs in a voice that scared even himself.

Soi-Fon merely looked up at him with a stern, yet somehow sad expression.

"He refused to do what was asked of him by the head captain himself: all remaining Quincy archers are to either give up their power or face elimination."

Uryu's eyes, if possible, went even wider.

"What? You can't do this... Just who gave you the authority to control our lives or take them away?" he shouted. "Not even your legendary 'head captain' has that kind of power!"

"Then I take it you refuse the offer?" said the captain.

Uryu's eyes narrowed to a slit. "You do not control me, and I will not heed anything you say! I will never surrender _Ginrei Kojaku_ to you monsters!"

He quickly summoned said bow and prepared to fire when he was hit by a sudden wave of nausea.

_No, I can't fight them like this- not while I'm this weak._

He flashed a livid glance at the female captain, who returned it just as quickly, then flash-stepped away.

.

Uryu ran through the streets, running on sheer will-power alone.

_I can't go back to my apartment; they know where that is... I have to make it to the shouten. Surely Urahara-san can help me with whatever's going on!_  
>But even as he took turn after turn, getting closer and closer to his destination, he had to wonder:<p>

_My father would NEVER have been beaten so easily... Especially NOT to a shinigami! But I saw him- and he was dead... I just don't understand!_

Finally, the shouten was in sight; but even as he neared it, he heard a voice behind him.

"I'm sorry about this, Quincy," said Soi-Fon as she walked out from the shadows of a nearby alley. "But the decision was yours, and you chose death."


	3. Delaying the Inevitable

It's a little known fact to anyone, but I actually did care about my father. I mean, sure, he wasn't very loving or nurturing to me, but that doesn't mean I didn't like the fact that he was still around. It let me know that I still have some family out there, no matter how much we hate each other. And when I learned that he was also a Quincy, I didn't feel so alone anymore; it felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I wasn't the last Quincy- there was someone else. So when I saw the shinigami captain pierce him straight through with her zanpaktou, it was as if a part of me died. Not only had I lost the last of my family, but also the last of my clan. Now all of the weight fell onto my shoulders once more, just as it had before. But there was one thought plaguing my mind above the others: _My father would NEVER die so easily!_ It was almost unfathomable that such a strong-willed, impassive man could just be killed like that... and by the one of the very things he swore to hate forever! I just can't believe that he's dead... But I saw it happen with my own eyes. I know what a dead person looks like- that's how I knew he was dead, right? But it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I don't end up dead myself. I will not allow myself to be killed this night...

...

Uryu stared at Captain Soi-Fon with a look of pure hatred.

"How could you do this! If you kill me then the entire race of the Quincy clan will be extinct!" he shouted angrily.

Soi-Fon gave a firm glare. "I don't want to do this, but-"

Her sentence was cut short as another presence entered the area.

"Soi-Fon? What's going on here," asked a stern voice. The captain's eyes widened.

"Y- Yoruichi-sama!" she stammered.

"Just what are you planning on doing to this Quincy, Soi-Fon?" asked the feline warrior as she glared at them from atop of a nearby rooftop.

"This- this is not your concern, Yoruichi-sama! Please, just leave now," Soi-Fon continued, obviously uncomfortable with the situation she was in.

"What was that, Soi-Fon? I'm sorry; I'm afraid I may have misheard you!" Yoruichi said strictly.

"Hey! Just what's going on out here! I felt some massive reiatsu just a few- huh? Ishida?"

"Kurosaki! What are you doing here!" Uryu shouted.

Sado also came running around the corner from a nearby street.

"Sado!" Uryu shouted before lowering his head and narrowing his eyes. "You should both get out of here now; I can handle this."

"What? No way! I only left you alone a few hours ago! You're still sick!" Kurosaki replied.

"Enough of this!" Yoruichi said before giving the captain a stern glare. "Soi-Fon, sheath your zanpaktou and step away from the boy... now."

Soi-Fon looked down. "My deepest apologies, Yoruichi-sama! I'm afraid that I cannot comply to your request!"

With that, the captain raised her zanpaktou and flash-stepped behind the Quincy. Uryu, still in shock from recent events and not quite feeling well, had barely any time to turn around before he felt the blade pierce his flesh.

_What? No!_ he thought as he began to fall to the ground.

"Soi-Fon!" Yoruichi yelled as she flash-stepped down to their level to stop the younger woman from striking another blow .

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for Uryu as he fell. He was vaguely aware of the gaping wound now marring his side and someone screaming his name.

_This isn't right... _he thought._ It wasn't supposed to happen like this..._

Chad rushed over to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Ishida!" Ichigo yelled as he flash-stepped over to them.

"He's unconscious," Chad stated as he moved the boy into a more comfortable position in his arms. Ichigo stared at the wound.

"You!" he shouted as he turned to look at Soi-Fon. "Why did you do this?"

But Soi-Fon couldn't answer. Currently, she was kneeling at Yoruichi's feet with her head bowed looking as if she were about to cry.

"Yoruichi-sama! Please forgive me, Yoruichi-sama!" she yelled as she tried her best to remain composed. Yoruichi knelt down with a gentle smile and placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"It's all right, Soi-Fon- just tell me why you were attacking Ishida-san," she asked.

"I was under orders from the Head Captain," Soi-Fon stated rather hesitantly. "I and my squad were supposed to either take the Quincy archer's powers or kill them; but I sent my squad back to inform the Head Captain that the older Quincy, Ishida Ryuken, was dealt with."

"What!" Ichigo yelled from his position trying to cease the flow of blood from Uryu's body. "Just what have you done with Ishida's father?"

"He would not relinquish his power to me, so I was forced to eliminate him," Soi-Fon replied, obviously recomposed, yet still kneeling on the ground.

"What! How could you- how could the old man give such orders!" Ichigo yelled. "Why-"

"Kurosaki," Yoruichi interrupted. "Don't you think that we can discuss this once Ishida's wound has been treated?"

Ichigo looked back down toward his friend. Noticing the slight red tinge in his cheeks, he felt his forehead. "Yeah, you're right. His fever from earlier today has gotten a lot worse, too."

Ichigo stood back a little bit as Chad stood up, the Quincy still in his arms.

"Come on," Yoruichi said. "Let's get to the _shouten_- all of us."

Soi-Fon looked up at the hand Yoruichi extended to her and slowly took it, standing while trying not to look at the teenager in Sado's arms and the substitute shinigami worriedly hovering over them both.

...

This first thing Uryu noticed as he began to regain consciousness was that he was in a warm bed and heard muffled voices around him.

_What... How am I still alive... Inoue's gone- Urahara-san..._

He was still trying to decide whether it was a good or bad thing that he was still alive as he tried to open his eyes.

"Ummm, Urahara-san? I think that he's waking up..." a small, tentative voice said from beside him. Immediately, he felt several more people at his bedside.

"Ishida? Ishida!"

"Kurosaki..." Uryu managed to whisper. Suddenly, he felt a hand under his shoulders as he was lifted into a sitting position. He heard Ichigo sigh in relief.

"Here, Ishida-san, you should drink something. It took us a while to heal you," he heard Urahara say as a cup was put on his lips. He gratefully accepted and began to drink.

Once he had taken a few gulps the cup was removed. "Thank you," he said.

"How do you feel," Ichigo asked.

"Tired, but all right," he replied. He felt the arm under his shoulder, which turned out to be Sado's, lay him back down.

"You should rest then," he said as he removed his arm.

"Yeah, you still have a fever," Ichigo added.

"In a minute," replied the Quincy as he turned toward Urahara. "What happened after I was injured?"

Urahara seemed to hesitate somewhat before he replied. "Well, Soi-Fon and Yoruichi went back to the Seireitei to see if they could repeal the Head Captain orders, but only Yoruichi returned..."

He paused for a moment. "And?" Uryu asked.

"Well- they were unable to do anything..." Urahara finished with a sigh. Uryu closed his eyes and let out a sorrowful sigh of his own.

"But don't worry! We're going to protect you, no matter what! We'll figure something out with the old man!" Ichigo said determinedly.

"No."

That one word seemed to echo throughout the entire room as all previous sound stopped and all eyes turned to Uryu.

"I don't need your help. Just- just stay away from me, shinigami..."

He fell asleep just as he finished the sentence. Everyone stared at him in shock before Ichigo finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Tch- that's just the fever talking. I'm sure he didn't mean it," he said, though he didn't seem too sure of himself. "Come on, we should get some rest before daylight. I don't know about you, but I intend to skip the pool party tomorrow and head straight to the Seireitei."

Chad nodded as they stood up and began to leave the room, followed shortly after by all other occupants in the room besides the sleeping Quincy.

...

In the Seireitei, another captain's meeting was being held.

"Considering Captain Soi-Fon of Squad 2 was unable to deal with the Quincy Ishida Uryu, I am ordering all able squads to take this matter into their own hands!" the Head Captain stated, crashing the end of his cane down onto the floor. "This has become a matter of extreme importance! Regardless of any previous relationships you have had with the Quincy, he must either be stripped of his power or eliminated! Are there any objections?"

Captain Hitsugaya glared at the Head Captain. As the elder returned it with a stern glare of his own, the captain of Squad 10 lowered his head.

"Very well, then. You are dismissed!"


	4. Decisions of the Gotei 13

Uryu awoke a few hours after he had fallen back asleep. As he looked around, he noticed that he was the only one in the room. He slowly began to sit up, grimacing slightly as his wound was stretched. Apparently, Urahara either doesn't heal as well as Inoue or he just needed more rest to heal it completely; Uryu guessed that it was both.

_But I can't rest now... If I stay here, all of my friends will be in danger... But where exactly will I go? I can't go home, yet I can't stay here..._

He stood up carefully, falling onto his knees as soon as he was almost upright. He tried once more to stand and this time succeeded with the help of the wall beside him. He swayed as he took the first step, but felt more confident as he didn't fall back down. As he opened the door, however, some loud snoring to his right caused him to freeze up.

_Hmm, looks like Tessai-san fell asleep outside of the door... _he thought as he looked to the source of the noise. _I'd better be a lot quieter; the others may be sleeping nearby as well._

His assumption was confirmed as he continued down the hallway. He found Ichigo and Chad asleep in one of the other rooms and Urahara asleep in another. Once he had reached the front door, he slid into his shoes and silently prayed that his friends wouldn't follow him before slipping out into the daybreak, finally deciding on a destination.

...

Ichigo was roughly awoken by a hand on his shoulder.

"What the- Sado? What are you-"

"He's gone."

"What? What are you talking about?" asked Ichigo as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"I woke up a few minutes ago. Something didn't feel right; I couldn't feel Ishida's reiatsu. When I went to check on him, he was gone," Sado replied.

"What?" Ichigo shouted, finally awake. "Where could he have gone? This is bad! Really, really bad! He's nothing but a shinigami target out there!"

Ichigo yelled everything quickly as he rushed out of the room, pulling on his shoes and heading for the door.

"Just a minute, Kurosaki," said a voice from behind him.

"What is it, Urahara-san? I don't have a lot of time! I have to find that idiot of a Quincy!"

"And then what will you do? Where will you go? You can't possibly protect him from all the shinigami in the Seireitei. Don't you think that you would help him a lot more if you got the head captain to repeal his order?" asked the shopkeeper.

"Well, yeah, but I can't just leave him out there!" Ichigo replied.

Sado walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll protect Ishida. You just go to the Seireitei and try to sort this all out."

Ichigo looked as if he was about to protest for a moment, but then narrowed his eyes and nodded. "All right, just be careful. It's still really early, so he shouldn't have gotten very far."

"I doubt his injuries are even fully healed, yet," added Urahara.

"That idiot!" Ichigo shouted.

"I'll find him," Chad stated as he left the _shouten_ in order to begin his search. Ichigo inhaled deeply.

"All right, Urahara-san, I need to get to the Seireitei."

The shopkeeper smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

...

Uryu slowly trudged through the streets, clutching his side with each step. When he brought his hand away for a moment, he frowned slightly.

_Great, not only is my fever back again, but now my wound's reopened._

He gasped as he tripped and fell to his knees.

_No! I can't stop now! I have to keep going! I have to get there..._

He pushed himself back into a standing position and continued on his current path. As he turned the corner, he realized that he had already reached his destination: the nightmarish place where he had been only just last night. Only this time, he wasn't looking down on it from the hill to his left, but from the street where the actual events took place. This was where his father was ruthlessly killed. He had returned only to pay his last respects and take what now rightfully belonged to him: the cross of the last Quincy. Except that there was something missing from the scene- his father's dead body. Uryu's eyes widened considerably as he raced over to where he had seen the man fall. Sure enough, the blood stain was still there, but the body was not.

_What? Who would dare steal a dead body? It's unimaginable! Who- who would do this!_

The Quincy fell to his knees at the spot as he tried desperately to figure out a new plan. Suddenly, he gasped and looked up.

"Let me guess- you're here to kill me, right?" he asked the figure standing on the hill where he had been a few hours prior.

"Please understand, this is not what I want to do; but I simply cannot disobey my head captain's orders," said the white-haired captain as he slowly unsheathed his zanpaktou.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit back and die for you!" Uryu shouted as he stood and called forth _Ginrei Kojaku_. He staggered slightly, however, before straightening himself once more. The boy captain's eyes widened slightly as he noticed the blood on the Quincy's clothes.

"You're injured," he stated flatly.

"What does it matter to you, shinigami?" Uryu hissed.

Hitsugaya simply stared at him with a somewhat sorrowful expression.

"Please forgive me," he whispered before charging towards the Quincy.

Uryu only replied by drawing his bow and releasing a volley of arrows at the captain. Hitsugaya merely flash-stepped repeatedly to avoid the arrows. As he neared the Quincy, he attempted to cut him down, but a Seele Schneider blocked the zanpaktou's path. Uryu, realizing that he didn't have the strength to hold the zanpaktou back for long, promptly flash-stepped farther back. As he stopped, however, he swayed slightly and fell to his knees once more. Hitsugaya sighed.

"Soi-Fon really did a number on you, didn't she?" he asked as he lowered his zanpaktou. Uryu looked up wide-eyed.

"I just can't bring myself to fight you this way, no matter the orders," he finished as he sheathed his zanpaktou.

"Well, then, allow me to take your place, coward!" another voice yelled from above. Uryu looked up and quickly flash-stepped away with a gasp as a blade crashed into the ground he had currently been.

"Madarame-san!" Hitsugaya said with wide eyes.

"Just go now, Hitsugaya-taichou. I'll finish what you couldn't!" yelled the other.

"Madarame-san!" the captain yelled once more, irritated at the man's lack of respect. But the shinigami was already gone, charging for the Quincy with a crazed smile.

Uryu's eyes widened as the blade came flying toward him, unable to gather enough energy to dodge again in his current state.

"_El Directo_!" yelled a voice suddenly as a large flash of energy came crashing down upon the bald shinigami, forcing him to change his blade's direction in order to protect himself.

"Sado!" Uryu yelled as the larger teenager landed in front of him.

"Ishida, get out of here. Go back to Urahara's," he said quietly.

"But-" the Quincy's sentence was cut short as Ikkaku charged once more with a battle cry towards him.

"There's no time!" the other said as he blocked the blow coming from the shinigami. Uryu hesitated for a moment before finally nodding and beginning to run away. He abruptly halted, however, when a blade was pressed against his neck.

"Running from a fight, are you? How very ugly."

_Of course! You idiot! Wherever Madarame goes Ayasegawa can't be far behind!_ Uryu mentally berated himself as he flash-stepped away, swaying slightly as he grabbed onto a wall for support. _Kuso... I'm in no shape to fight anyone right now..._

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya was still watching the fight from the sidelines.

_Of course. I should have know Zaraki-taichou would send those two..._

Butas he watched the Quincy stagger and nearly fall after his last flash-step, he couldn't help but remember when he was in a similar situation. Injured, frightened, fighting those he once knew as allies- it wasn't a pleasant thing to experience. He knew this all too well, and his face took on a look of anger as he finally made a decision.

"Bloom, _Fuji Kujaku_!" yelled the fifth seat. His blade split into many different sections as he prepared to finish off the weakened Quincy... before a blade slightly lighter in color crashed into his. He looked down in shock at the determined face of Captain Hitsugaya.

"Hitsugaya-taichou! What are you doing?" yelled the fifth seat.

"What I should have done from the start!" the white-haired captain replied, thrusting his sword upwards and dislodging the blades currently in a battle for dominance. Yumichika staggered backwards; but even as he tried to determine whether or not he should fight with the captain, Hitsugaya grabbed Uryu and flash-stepped over to where Ikkaku and Sado were still in battle, crashing his blade into the bald shinigami's. Sado looked at the captain in confusion as he caught the smaller form thrust toward him.

"Go! Take the Quincy and get out of here! I'll hold them off!" Hitsugaya explained, dislodging his blade once again and engaging in a fierce battle with Ikkaku. With a nod, Sado threw the Quincy over his shoulder and began to run.

"Sado! What are you-"

"Faster this way," was the only reply the dark-haired boy received.

"Yumichika!" Ikkaku yelled.

"Right!" replied the other, taking the hint and starting to run after them. Suddenly, a blade appeared in front of him.

"You're not going anywhere," said Hitsugaya in a menacing voice as Yumichika quickly threw up his sword to block the other's attack.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" Yumichika yelled. "If you continue to hinder us, you will be recognized as a traitor!"

Hitsugaya merely flash-stepped backwards in order to get a clear view of the two he was currently fighting. "Considering everything going on now, I'm beginning to wonder just who the traitors really are!"

Without even giving the other shinigami an explanation, the captain raised his blade and attacked.

...

Sado ran as fast as he could through the streets back to Urahara's _shouten_, trying to ignore the fact that his shoulder felt slightly damp with what he already knew was blood from the person currently in his care. Suddenly, he felt two large spiritual pressures coming from above him. Looking up, he saw two men standing atop of the roof of a nearby building.

"Please do not resist us; we are here for the Quincy and we cannot leave without him. Please, give him to us," said one of the voices, belonging to a pale shinigami with long, flowing white hair.

Sado merely narrowed his eyes and moved into a defensive position.

"Yare, yare, why did I know that that would be your answer?" said the other person, a shinigami with curly brown hair wearing a straw hat and a pink kimono with flowers, as he pulled out his zanpaktou. The white-haired shinigami did the same.

Uryu looked up as much as he could from his current position.

_This is bad..._ he thought. _They're both wearing the haori of a captain..._

Sado was about to set Uryu down when two figures landed in front of them.

"Good then! We got here on time," one voice said.

"Yoruichi!" Uryu gasped.

"Hai!" answered the feline warrior with a wink as she turned her head toward them. "You just go on ahead, Sado! Soi-Fon and I will take care of these two!"

Glancing slightly to the side, Uryu noticed that Soi-Fon was indeed there, no longer sporting her captain's haori. In fact, both of them had removed their outer coats, revealing the sleeveless black tops underneath that clearly said "We mean business."

Once again nodding, Sado took off in the direction of the _shouten_ once more.

"Well, Soi-Fon, you ready for this?" asked Yoruichi.

"Of course, Yoruichi-sama! My allegiance shall always lie with you!" replied the younger woman as she raised her zanpaktou. The two captains still watching from the roof frowned slightly.

"Sorry about this, Ukitake, Kyoraku," Yoruichi said as she smiled at them. "But even your sensei is wrong sometimes."

And the fight began.

...

Sado sighed in relief as the _shouten_ entered his sight. Uryu had become frighteningly still in the last few minutes and, though the Quincy was still conscious and responding to his calls, he was still worried. As he neared the _shouten_ however, a large reiatsu suddenly hit him with full force. He fell to his knees, losing his grip on the boy over his shoulder in the process. Uryu fell to the ground with a slight huff, but before Sado could check on him, a large shadow was cast over them. Looking up, he was greeted by the sinister smile of another captain, this time with his black hair up in spikes and a tiny form on his shoulder.

"Ha ha! Nice job, Ken-chan!" said the tiny pink-haired girl. "He's scared silly!"

"Be quiet, Yachiru. Go find someplace to watch the fight from the sidelines- heh, even though there are none whenever I'm fighting!" said the large captain.

"Right!" replied the girl as she hopped off his shoulder and skipped somewhere else. By this time, however, Chad had recovered and sent his fist flying into the captain's midsection while he was still turned away. This did nothing to harm the captain, however, and only managed to push him back a few feet.

"Tch, what was that supposed to be?" he asked as he unsheathed and raised his zanpaktou.

Sado's eyes widened; but suddenly, both of their attentions were drawn behind them. There, close to where Uryu was now attempting to stand, a senkaimon was opened.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Immediately, Zaraki was surrounded by a large circle of pink blades.

"Huh? What the meaning of this, eh, Kuchiki-taichou?" asked the larger captain as he stared at the one who had interrupted his fight. The captain looked over at him, as emotionless as ever.

"Rukia has spoken highly of the two you were attempting to kill," he replied. "If you succeed, she will be not be pleased; and I will not allow you to upset my pride."

Suddenly, they both turned their heads as a voice rang out, "Ishida!"

Apparently, as they senkaimon had been about to close, Uryu had chosen to run through it. Sado called out his name and ran for the portal himself, managing to make it through before it closed completely.

"Well, now, it looks like I've lost my prey. Now you've ticked me off," said Zaraki as he raised his zanpaktou.

"If you still wish to continue this fight, then I shall humor you," replied the long-haired captain.

...

"Ishida!" yelled Sado as he ran through the Precipice World, trying to catch up with the Quincy.

"Don't follow me, Sado!" yelled the Quincy from ahead of him. Just as the former caught up with him, however, the Precipice World opened and they began to drop toward the ground of the Seireitei, Uryu flash-stepping away before Sado could catch him.

_It's time for me to end this!_ thought the Quincy as he ran quickly yet stealthily through the Seireitei, holding his side while still keeping an eye on his destination. _Or at least die trying..._


	5. The Fight Begins

The head captain looked out towards the Seireitei. He knew that something was terribly wrong, many of his captains were missing, and he knew that it didn't take that many just to kill a single Quincy. Suddenly, he heard the sound of someone dropping to their knees behind him.

"Head Captain! I have come to inform you of several extreme situations now taking place in the world of the living!" said a voice.

"You may speak, Lieutenant Sasakibe," replied the older man.

"Sir, it has come to my attention that the entire Gotei 13 is in complete disarray! Many of the captains have turned again each other and are now engaged in serious battle within the world of the living! As of now, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya is battling Third-Seat Ikkaku Madarame and Fifth-Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa of Squad 11; Captain Soi-Fon and ex-Shinigami Yoruichi Shihōin are battling Captains Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku; and Captain Byakuya Kuchiki is battling Captain Kenpachi Zaraki! The cause of this dispute is still unknown, however-"

"It is the Quincy."

The Lieutenant stopped and looked up. "Sir?"

"Many of the captains view the Quincy as an ally and cannot bring themselves to harm him; they have disobeyed my orders and let their personal feelings get in the way of their responsibilities," the head captain explained.

"Traitors?"

"Yes." At this, the head captain turned around and fiercely glared at the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Sasakibe, gather all of the remaining captains, lieutenants, and seated officers and proceed to the world of the living to end this dispute and send all of the ones involved back to the Seireitei!"

He crashed the tip of his cane against the floor. "Not only will this destroy the human world if it continues, but also the future of the Gotei 13 itself! You are dismissed!"

"Hai, sir!" replied the lieutenant as he stood, bowed slightly, and left the room. The head captain simply stood in silence for a moment before walking to his desk and sitting on the chair with a slight sigh.

_How can one person-a Quincy especially- have such an effect on someone that they would disobey the orders of their superior. Why would they risk their lives to save him? Just why is he so important to them?_

These thoughts plagued the old man as he reached for a small pile of paperwork. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he felt a surge of spiritual pressure only a few miles away from his current position. He brought his hand back and uttered three words that echoed through the nearly empty room: "He is here."

...

Uryu quickly ran through the Seireitei, keeping his eyes on the Gotei 13's main structure, the large building that housed their beloved head captain- and his current destination. He had recently tied a strip of cloth from his cape around the wound in his side, effectively stopping the bleeding and keeping him from leaving a trail, but he knew that it wouldn't last for long.

_I just have to do this! I just have to know..._ he thought as he continued to run stealthily through each alley and side road. He swiftly flattened himself against a nearby wall as he noticed many Shinigami headed in his direction. As they ran past, he overheard a hell butterfly loudly booming a voice above their heads.

"Attention all Shinigami captains, lieutenants, and seated officers!" it rang out. "The Head Captain Yamamoto has hereby ordered that you report to the World of the Living immediately! You are to end the current fighting among the Shinigami there and send them back here; you are given permission to use force if necessary!"

The voice quietly faded out as it and the Shinigami grew farther away, and Uryu couldn't help but smile to himself.

_This couldn't have ended up more perfectly! It's almost too good to be true... _ he thought as he began once more toward the large building. He staggered slightly, however, and fell against a wall before he had gone too far. _Kuso! My fever is getting worse by the minute... But I can't let it affect me; not yet!_

With a determined frown, he pushed forward and continued on his way. _My body just has to hold out for a little while longer- only a little while longer and this will all be over with... one way or another..._

...

Ichigo walked thought the Seireitei with a defeated expression on his face. His head was cast downward and he seemed to be wandering around aimlessly, deep in thought. His head shot up, however, as he heard a hell butterfly proclaiming that all captains, lieutenants, and seated officers go to the world of the living and break up fights between other shinigami.

_What? Just what's going-_

"Kurosaki!" yelled a voice to his left.

"Sado!" he shouted as he noticed who was running toward him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be watching-"

"I know," replied the other, finally reaching him. "I found Ishida; he was still sick and his wound had reopened, but he was still trying to fight a captain."

"WHAT?" yelled Ichigo. "That idiot! But how did you-"

"The captain changed sides; he started fighting the other Shinigami who had come for Ishida. I grabbed him and ran, but we found more Shinigami on the way. Others came to fight them, too, though. The third time, a senkaimon was opened and I had let go of Ishida for a time. While the Shinigami were fighting, Ishida chose to dive into the senkaimon; I followed him."

Ichigo was silent for one moment, still trying to comprehend the fact that, though it was very vague, this was the most Sado had ever said to him in one sitting. Finally, what all was said sunk in and his eyes widened. "WHAT? You mean Ishida is HERE?"

Sado merely nodded.

"That- that-! ARGH! I can't even think of a name to call someone like him! I'm gonna kill him!" Ichigo yelled.

"So I take your meeting with the head captain still didn't make the Seireitei a safe place for him to be?" Sado asked.

"No, it didn't even go on! He wouldn't even see me!" Ichigo replied. "Crazy old man!" He then began to run toward the large building towering over all others.

"Where are you going?"

"Where does it look like I'm going? I'm going to save that stupid Quincy! I may still not know much about him, but I'm pretty sure I know the reason why he would come here at a time like this; and, if that's the case, then we have to find him- fast!" replied the substitute Shinigami. Chad nodded in understanding and raced after him.

...

The head captain stopped his hand's writing as he felt a familiar surge of spiritual pressure coming from the window he had just recently been looking out of.

"So you've come," he simply said.

"I knew that you would be able to sense my reiatsu, even from afar. Or at least, I expected as much from the highly revered and feared 'Head Captain' of the Shinigami," was the reply. The head captain put down his pen and stood from the chair. When he finally looked up, his eyes narrowed somewhat.

"So, you are the Quincy that has been giving me and my Shinigami so much trouble. I knew that you were young, but I didn't suppose you were so young as this. You appear to be younger than even the substitute Shinigami; perhaps this is the reason that my captains could not find it in their hearts to kill you."

Uryu scoffed quietly. "Oh, I'm young, you say? Well, forgive me for saying this, but you aren't exactly what I had in mind myself. I suppose now I know why Kurosaki calls you 'old man' all the time."

The head captain's eyes widened somewhat before a scowl replaced the expression. "You are just as hot-tempered as I remember Quincy archer's to have been."

"So it's true then!" Uryu yelled suddenly. "You were alive when the massacre of the Quincy clan took place! I even bet that you were the one who gave the order, right?"

Yamamoto was silent for a moment before replying. "Yes, I was the one who gave the order." Though he could feel the Quincy's glare burn straight through him, the head captain received no reply, so he continued. "And what of it? Have you come to get your revenge? To kill the one responsible for the deaths of thousands of Quincy archers?"

Uryu stared at the ground for a few moments, allowing silence to fill up the room before quietly replying. "Usually, I don't believe in taking revenge on anyone. My sensei always taught me that revenge makes me no better than the one I want to take it out on. But do you know what happened to my sensei? He was killed by a Hollow in the world of the living! By the time the Shinigami got there, it was already too late! So do you know what they did? They took his soul to an extremely loathsome Shinigami captain who performed experiments on him until even his soul was no more! Now the Shinigami have taken my father's life, too; and they are currently trying to take mine!" By this time, the Quincy had materialized his bow, which was burning fiercely with the spiritual pressure of its owner. "It is for that reason that I- Uryu Ishida, last of the Quincy clan- swear on the pride of the Quincy that I will kill the one responsible for the atrocities done to us!"

The head captain sighed and walked out from behind his desk. "So be it."

"Ishida!" yelled a voice as the door burst open, revealing two very out of breath teenagers.

"Do not interfere! This must be done," said Yamamoto in a gruff voice.

"Kurosaki, Sado, please... This is my fight. It has always been my fight," said Uryu as he got over his initial shock of their sudden intrusion and turned towards them.

"Ishida, think about what you're-" Ichigo started before Uryu put up a hand to silence him.

"You don't need to worry about me, Kurosaki," said the Quincy with a small smile as Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. Sado tried to walk closer to him, but was held back by Ichigo's arm in front of him.

"Don't, Sado; he's right. If we interfere, it'll just mess everything up."

Sado hesitated somewhat, looking worriedly at the pale, wounded teenager standing in the middle of the room, before finally giving a slow nod. When he looked back at Ichigo's eyes, however, he realized that the look he had on clearly said, "But if that old man tries to kill him we'll be right here to save him!"

And that was good enough for him.


	6. The Quincy and the Head Captain

Uryu glared fiercely at his opponent, as if daring him to make the first move; but the head captain merely stared emotionlessly back at him. Uryu grasped his bow tightly and brought it in front of him, preparing to fire as he finally became impatient. Before he could fire, however, he felt a rush of air next to him.

"Impatience is what leads to defeat the quickest."

Uryu gasped as he realized the head captain had flash-stepped behind him, his zanpaktou now present and swinging towards the Quincy. Uryu quickly used Hirenkyaku to dodge the blade.

_K'so! He's faster than I expected..._

Yamamoto looked back towards the Quincy, still holding his emotionless expression, as Uryu breathed heavily from the toll Hirenkyaku took from his already injured body.

_This place is too small to hold any of my techniques... If I'm going to win, I have to take this fight somewhere with a lot of open space..._

Thinking quickly, Uryu dashed out the window, using his spirit particles to create a platform for him to land on.

"Perhaps we should take this fight away from bystanders?" he said calmly. The head captain's eyes narrowed slightly before he stepped out of the large window as well, using his own reiatsu to hold himself up.

"If that is what you wish, though I do not believe this fight is going to be as long as you-" But the old man's statement was cut off as he was forced to dodge a large volley of arrows from the Quincy's _Licht Regen_. He had to flash-step to different areas many times until the arrows ran out, but in the end he wasn't even singed. Uryu growled quietly as he tried to decide his next move.

_What's wrong with me? Why can't I think straight! The fever must be slowing me down... No! I can't let that happen! Snap out of it, come on!_

His eyes widened considerably as he realized that, while he had been lost in thought, the head captain had flash-stepped behind him once more.

"Reduce all creation to ash."

Uryu quickly used Hirenkyaku to get away from the now burning blade.

_Come on! You have to be faster! _He berated himself as he fought to regain his breath once more.

He continued to dodge as the head captain sent more fire his way, firing arrows quickly every spare chance he got. When one finally managed to hit the Shinigami and lodge in his shoulder, he simply grabbed the hilt and pulled it out again, as if he wasn't even fazed.

_What! My reiatsu can't be that weak!_

Yamamoto sighed and broke the arrow in half. "You must understand, Quincy, even if you were in a fitting condition to fight me, you wouldn't stand a chance. Either give up now and give me your Quincy powers, or I will be forced to eliminate you."

"No! I will not be defeated by the likes of you, Shinigami!" Uryu yelled as he pulled back more arrows and released them. The head captain merely sighed once more and dodged the arrows, raising his sword once the volley ceased.

"Jōkaku Enjō," he said. Immediately, streams of fire shot from the zanpaktou and encircled the Quincy in a ball of fire.

"What-!"

"Ishida!" Ichigo yelled as he began to rush towards his friend.

"NO!" boomed a voice from inside the fire wall. Ichigo halted hesitantly, unsure of how to handle the situation he was put in. If he helped the Quincy, he would probably save his life; but then Uryu would probably hate him. If he didn't help the Quincy, however, he would probably die.

"Ishida!" he yelled again, desperately. Sado merely looked on with worried eyes, unable to do anything because of his inability to stand on air or spirit particles.

"Didn't I tell you... I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY THE LIKES OF YOU!"

A blue light suddenly began to glow from inside of the ball of fire, some bright beams escaping through tiny cracks.

"What- what's he doing?" asked Sado.

"I don't believe it- he's using his own spirit particles to create a shield around himself..." Ichigo said with wide eyes.

"But how will that help?"

"If he gets it large enough, it will overcome the fire around him, freeing him... But that's impossible- especially in his condition!"

"You would be surprised how powerful one can get by using revenge to fuel them," said the head captain solemnly, thinking back to the time Captain Amagai had used his want for revenge to try to kill him as well. Suddenly, a loud cracking sound was heard from the ball of fire as it was finally dispersed and began to fall slowly to the ground in small pieces. The one recently inside the ball could be seen breathing heavily on his knees, barely able to hold himself up with spirit particles. He attempted to stand, but simply fell straight back down to his knees.

"Ishida!" yelled Ichigo. _This is bad... He's in no condition to fight! He never was in the first place- that idiot!_ he thought as he continued to watch, fighting the overwhelming urge to rush to his friend.

The head captain sighed and readied his blade once more.

"I am sorry, Quincy, but I simply cannot allow you to live any longer. The balance between worlds cannot be broken, nor will I allow it to be," he said gravely. "Reduce all creation to ash."

Fire exploded from the blade, heading straight for the weakened Quincy. However, before it could strike him, a form flash-stepped in front of him.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Immediately, the fire exploded against pure energy, canceling out both attacks. As the smoke cleared, Uryu turned his blurry vision up to the form in front of him.

"Kurosaki..." he managed to whisper before falling completely unconscious. Ichigo caught him as he began to fall, his spirit particles unable to hold him up any longer. He looked sorrowfully at his friend for a moment before turning to face the head captain with an angry and accusing glare.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," the Head Captain began as he returned the glare. "Despite your apparent friendship with that Quincy, he can no longer be kept alive. The balance-"

"What about the balance? The 'balance' this, and the 'balance' that- I could really care less about the stupid balance!" Ichigo shouted angrily. "What right do you have to take away this boy's life? In fact, what right did you have to take away the lives of his entire clan?"

By now, Ichigo was livid, yelling at the top of his lungs as if no one could hear him unless he did. The Head Captain remained silent as he waited for the substitute Shinigami to continue.

"People only have one life! One life and that's _it_!" Ichigo finally stated. "Sure, some people are chosen to live in the Seireitei after they die, but not all of them! And certainly not Quincys! So what right do you have- WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT ONE LIFE AWAY FROM THEM!"

He looked down at the Quincy in his arms as a few tears escaped his eyes. "Uryu only has one life... Please, don't take that away from him! He's my friend- he's Abarai's friend- and Rukia's friend! A lot of the captain's are friends with him too! Heck, there's a WAR going on in the world of the living because of your stupid and senseless decision!"

The Head Captain waited a few moments before sighing. "Kurosaki Ichigo, I realize what you're trying to say, but if the entire world could be saved through the death of one person, don't you think the sensible thing to do would be to let the one person die rather than the entire world? Likewise, this Quincy is destroying both your world and ours by killing so many Hollow with his spiritual arrows. He must be kil-"

"Then I'll make sure he won't kill so many anymore! I'll watch him personally! It'll be my job to keep watch over him and make sure he doesn't kill too many Hollow! He doesn't have to die!" Ichigo yelled.

The Head Captain seemed to consider this for a moment before lowering his sword. "You would be sure to do this? To watch over the Quincy and make sure that his Hollow kills do not amount to be too many?"

"Yes," Ichigo replied.

The Head Captain stared at him for a few moments, as if trying to discern whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally, he looked away.

"Then I will allow him to live," he said as he sheathed his sword. Ichigo sighed in relief.

"But I warn you, if the Quincys endanger the balance between worlds again, they will be eliminated," the head captain said sternly.

"Right, I unders- Wait- 'They'?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes," replied the Head Captain, suddenly raising his voice slightly. "Isn't that right, Yamada Hanatarou?"

A timid looking young Shinigami stepped out from behind a nearby building and flash-stepped closer. "H-hai, sir."

A certain silver-haired fukutaicho flash-stepped next to him, a disapproving look on her face. "Unohana-taicho sent me here with him so that he could confess what he'd done."

"And if I am right, what you have done involves bringing a certain injured Quincy from the world of the living to the Seireitei, hiding him in one of the smaller rooms of Squad Four's infirmary, healing him, and trying yet not succeeding to completely hide his reiatsu from being discovered by higher-ups such as Unohana and myself?" asked the Head Captain, eyeing the young Shinigami accusingly.

Hanatarou gulped loudly. "I- I'm so sorry, sir! It's just- the Quincy- he was a big help to us! And he just seemed so devastated when he saw his father killed I just- well- I-"

"That's enough, Yamada Hanatarou; I understand. I suppose that since I am allowing his son to live and since he was already under our watchful eye before, I shall let the older Quincy remain alive as well," sighed the Head Captain. "Although, you should not make a habit of attempting to hide things from me or any other captains."

"Oh! Uh- of course, sir! I'm so sorry! I won't ever do it again!" Hanatarou stuttered as he bowed as low as he possibly could.

"Very well, it has been decided. If you would, heal the young Quincy's wounds so that he may return to the world of the living swiftly."

"Of course, sir!" said the young Shinigami as he rushed over to the substitute Shinigami still keeping the Quincy from falling.

"Isane-fukutaicho."

"Hai, sir!"

"Go to the world of the living and announce that I have repealed the order to eliminate the young Quincy. That should at least get a few of the captains to cease their infuriating battles."  
>"Hai!"<p>

The silver-haired vice captain flash-stepped away to do her bidding as Ichigo was laying his friend on the ground to be healed. Chad was already running to meet them.

...

Just so you know, everything will be concluded in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	7. Epilogue

Well, this is the last chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you enjoyed it!

...

"All right! All done!" Hanatarou said cheerfully as he stood up and wiped his brow.

"But, wait- he still doesn't look too good... and he has a fever!" Ichigo said as he felt Uryu's forehead.

"Yes, well, that's a human illness. He probably already had it before this whole thing even started. I can't heal illnesses... Sorry!" the young Shinigami replied as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "He's just going to have to sleep it off, I guess!"

"Yeah, come to think of it I remember he wasn't feeling too well the other day after school..." Ichigo mused.

"Okay, then; I'm afraid that's all I can do. I would suggest you just take him home now and let him rest," Hanatarou said.

"All right; I guess we'll do that... Though I wish he was at least conscious!"

"It's all right, Kurosaki; I'll carry him," Chad said as he stooped down to pick up the unconscious Quincy.

"Okay, then! It was good to see you again, Ichigo!" Hanatarou said with a wave.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied as the young Shinigami flash-stepped away.

...

The walk to Uryu's apartment complex was not pleasant... especially considering the fact that a certain Quincy woke up halfway there only to find himself in the arms of a much larger teen. After much yelling and complaining, the teens finally found themselves inside Uryu's apartment, settling his furiously blushing form onto the bed, and looking around for medicine.

"Ishida! Don't you have any medicine for fevers? Or any medicine at all?" he yelled.

"No! I don't get sick very often! Just let me sleep, I'll be better by tomorrow!" replied the other, still trying to hide his face in a pillow.

"Geez! Why do you have to be so-" But Ichigo's sentence was cut short as he looked at his phone, which had been silent since last night.

"Kurosaki? What is it?" asked Uryu.

"It's my messages... Inoue's sent me 14 already," he replied.

Both Uryu and Sado got out their phones as well.

"She's sent me 11."

"She's sent me 19."

All eyes turned to stare at Uryu, whose had just spoken.

"Here, I'll play back the most recent," he said, pressing a button.

_"Hi, Ishida-kun! Why haven't you been calling me back? Oh, you must be really sick! You poor thing! But the others haven't been answering my calls either... Oh, I hope nothing's happened! It hasn't even been a week since I left! Oh, well, we're going rock climbing now so I have to go. Bye, Ishida-kun!"_

Uryu played back the next one.

"_Hi, Ishida-kun! It turns out, rock-climbing really isn't my thing! I fell from really high up and broke my arm, and I can't heal it because everyone would notice! I still haven't been able to get a hold of Kurosaki-kun or Sado-kun... Oh, well, I don't really know what's going to happen now that my arm's broken! I'm such a klutz! It's just like in the Seireitei, remember, Ishida-kun? Oh, but I have to go now... Bye, Ishida-kun!"_

"Last one," said Uryu. "This one's only from a few minutes ago."

_"Hi, Ishida-kun! It turns out, I can't do anything related to camping with a broken arm, so they've sent me home! I'm almost there already and the first place I'm stopping by is your apartment so I can check on you! I'll see you soon, Ishida-kun!"_

All three occupants of the room stood in a shocked silence.

"Inoue should start her own talk show... She'd be good at it... Really, REALLY good at it..." said Ichigo, finally breaking the silence.

_"Ishida-kun!"_

"I think I can still hear her voice ringing in my ears..." said Uryu.

_"Ishida-kun!"_

"Yeah, me too..." said Ichigo before he frowned. "Wait, I am hearing her voice!"

_"Ishida-kun!"_

Ichigo opened a nearby window and looked around, spotting the smiling, waving form of Orihime almost immediately.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun!" she said. "I'm coming up, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Ichigo yelled back. Orihime rushed up the stairs and through the now open door of Uryu's apartment, grabbing the Quincy and pulling him into a hug almost immediately.

"Oh, Ishida-kun! You all had me so worried! I was so afraid that something had happened! Oh, your fever's so bad! I wish I could heal it!" she said quickly.

Uryu smiled while blushing once more. "It's all right, Inoue. I don't mind."

She pulled back and looked around. "Why haven't you all been answering my calls?"

All three males exchanged nervous glances as they tried to think of excuses.

"Oh, well-"

"You know-"

"It's quite simple."

All eyes turned to Uryu.

"Kurosaki and Sado were so concerned with taking care of my health that they turned off their phones in order to devote all their attention to me."

"Really?" Orihime asked before squealing. "That's so nice! You guys are such good friends!"

Ichigo laughed nervously. "Yep, that's us!"

"That's good! I was worried you were hurt or something!" Orihime said.

All male occupants of the room breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the one female occupant easily believed anything she was told.

"So what happened? I thought you said you broke your arm?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, yeah! I healed it quickly on the way here!" Orihime replied. "And what about you guys? Anything interesting happen while I was gone? Well, besides taking care of Ishida-kun?"

Ichigo, Sado, and Uryu all exchanged looks before Ichigo smiled and even chuckled slightly.

"Besides taking care of Ishida?" he replied. "Nothing- absolutely nothing at all."


End file.
